Playing The Game
by T'eyla
Summary: What do you do when you're stuck on a diplomatic mission and bored out of your mind? You play a game...


Disclaimer: I don't own Enterprise, I don't own Star Trek, I don't own Paramount, even The Game isn't mine, so please don't sue.  
  
AN: This is something that came to me in the middle of the night, and I wrote in in about an hour, so please don't hold me responsible for it *g*.  
  
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Playing The Game  
  
by T'eyla  
  
"Okay," Trip said, leaning back in his chair,"now this is boring."  
  
Malcolm who had been gazing out of the window turned to look at Tucker.  
  
"You could have gone with the Captain and the Ambassador, you know," he said. Trip rolled his eyes.  
  
"That would've been even more boring. But since we'll be sittin' here with nothin' to do for quite some time, we can just as well do something."  
  
"And what? The captain ordered us to stay here," Malcolm answered. Trip sighed.  
  
"Well, we could play a game," he said.  
  
"A game?"  
  
"Yes. Why not? If the Ambassador's really showin' Jon the whole complex like he said he would, this can still take some time."  
  
Reed opened his mouth, considered, and closed it again.  
  
"Very well." he said. "What game were you thinking of?"  
  
"Umm...do you know The Game?"  
  
"What game?"  
  
"The *Game*. *The* Game." At Malcolm' s confused look he added: "That's the name. It's called The Game."  
  
"Oh." Reed raised an eyebrow. "No I don't know it. What are the rules?"  
  
"It's easy. Normally it's a drawin' game, but since we don't have any paper we'll have to play it just like that. Well, it'll work anyway. Do you wanna play offensive or defensive?"  
  
"Why, is it a strategical game?"  
  
"Umm...kinda. I'll play defensive, then I start and you can see how it workes."  
  
"Doesn't it have any rules I should know about?" Malcolm asked suspiciously.  
  
"There's only one rule and that's "be as creative as you can". The rest I'll explain during the game."  
  
"Oh. Okay, start right away, I'm ready." Reed said.  
  
"Ookay." Tucker folded his hands and placed them on the table. "Well, now I pick something cute and absolutely harmless, for example...a guinea pig," he said. Malcolm looked at him.  
  
"A guinea pig?"  
  
"Yes. That guinea pig I have to defend against anything you want to destroy it with."  
  
"Why should I want to destroy your guinea pig?"  
  
"'Cause that's what the offensive player does: You try anything to destroy my guinea pig; and I try anything to protect it."  
  
"And that's the game?" Malcolm asked doubtfully. Tucker smiled at him.  
  
"Yes, that's the game. And it's your turn. I picked my guinea pig, now you kill it."  
  
"Ahem...okay, I'll vaporize it with a phase pistol." Reed said.  
  
"Oh, Malcolm, don't be so obvious. You've gotta be *creative*." Tucker said. Reed raised his eyebrows.  
  
"Well, your guinea pig's dead, isn't it?"  
  
"No, now it's my turn again. I send a person who takes away the phase pistol from your person."  
  
"My person's a trained security guard, he won't let your person just take away his phase pistol."  
  
"You can use that tactic, but you have to say what your person does to keep my person from takin' away his pistol." Tucker said.  
  
"Okay, my person kicks your person down a slope into a pond full of pirhanyas." Malcolm said. He began to enjoy this game.  
  
"Good move. I sacrifice that guy and return to protectin' my guinea pig. I create a force field to protect it from your phaser shot."  
  
"With my starship, I fire a torpedo at your force field so it breaks down."  
  
"Oh, you got a starship?"  
  
"Sure, why not? You had a force field without installing any kind of energy source."  
  
"Fair point. Well, I send a spy onto your ship who sabotates your torpedos so they turn around and hit the ship if they're launched."  
  
"You can't program a torpedo to do that."  
  
"*I* can."  
  
"Well, but your spy loves his life and doesn't want to destroy the ship he's on, so he disobeys your orders."  
  
"I mix a drug into the ship's food that makes everybody obey me without questions."  
  
"I make my crew eat only resequenced food."  
  
"Poor people. Well, what do I do now? Oh I know..."  
  
-###-  
  
-half an hour later-  
  
"You do what?" Tucker exclaimed.  
  
"I throw a bubblegum-bomb."  
  
"What in God's name is that supposed to be?"  
  
"Well, a bubblegum-bomb. It'll encase everything in a big bubble and if you try to pop it, you will be covered in sticky gum so everything you touch will stick to your fingers."  
  
"That's mean! I can't do anything against that."  
  
Malcolm grinned, a malicious glint in his eyes. "Isn't that what this game is about?" he asked smugly.  
  
Tucker scowled and leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. After a moment he looked up.  
  
"You know, I've played The Game ever since I was seven years old, but the thought of a bubblegum-bomb never even crossed my mind," he said. "Where the hell did you get that idea from?"  
  
Reed shrugged. "It just... came to my mind, you know." 


End file.
